Anthropological kinship theory is explored for potential contributions to a theory of family business. This paper considers the costs and benefits of a role for kinship in business. Both derive from the discrepancy between the normative orders of kinship and markets; respectively, long-term generalized reciprocity and short-term balanced reciprocity. Because the former reflects the morality of society as a whole, kinship integrates social fields more readily than more specialized orders like markets.